#10 Cans

#10 cans are one type of packaging you'll find long-term food storage packed in. #10 cans have a variety of benefits over other types of packaging and are often used for large format freeze dried food packaging.

What Are #10 Cans?

#10 cans are simply a specific sized can used for food. You've probably seen a #10 can in the coffee aisle of your local grocery store. A #10 can is 5.5" x 6" x 7" (LxWxH) and weights approximately 8.5 oz. (240 grams) when empty. #10 cans are often used in long term food storage in addition to pouches and buckets. A #10 can holds just under 10oz, the equivalent of about 5.5 normal soup cans.

Pros & Cons of #10 Cans

Long Shelf Life

Sealed #10 cans offer the longest shelf life of any long-term storage food. Varying slightly by manufacturer, food stored in #10 cans can last upwards of 25 years with very little (if any) changes in taste and quality. The sealed #10 can keeps the freeze dried food from coming into contact with any moisture in the air, which is why it stays fresh for so long. Once opened, the contents of the can will be exposed to the air and the moisture in it and the shelf life will be reduced. Most #10 cans come with a convenient lid that can be used to minimize exposure to air, but each time you need to open the lid to get some food out you will be exposing the food inside. The recommendation on the shelf life of an opened #10 can vary widely depending on who you're talking to, but we've found and recommend eating the food in an opened #10 can within 6-12 months of first opening it. Being sure to keep the lid securely closed and keep the can in a cool, dark place will also help to prolong the shelf life of an opened #10 can.

Storage

#10 cans are both good and bad in terms of storage. By nature #10 cans are round, so unlike squared buckets, when you line them up on a shelf you do lose the space in between them. They are stackable, but don't 'lock' together like stackable buckets do, sitting one inside the lid ledge of the other. So although they are stackable, they are also prone to tipping over and falling, which can damage the can resulting in spoilage. The best way to store #10 cans is on a rack or shelf so that cans are only stacked 2 or so high. This mitigates the risk of toppling a tall stack.

Portability

#10 cans of freeze dried food are not particularly heavy - certainly not as heavy as normal canned food, which is packed in water. But they aren't exactly the most portable packaging option either. They can't be compressed and you'd need a pretty large and otherwise empty pack to carry just a few of them. This makes #10 cans ideal for long-term food storage and car camping but not ideal for a bug out bag or backpacking trip.

Durability

Another great advantage of the #10 can as long-term food storage packaging is durability. The cans are tough and can take some abuse without completely pulverizing the freeze dried food inside. Unlike the pouches of food you'll likely find individual servings packaged in, #10 cans can take a fall, or have things stacked on top of them without compromising the food within.

Convenience

Convenience is not the main goal of the number #10 can. If its convenience you're after above anything else, then the pouch is definitely the way to go. Unlike pouches, #10 cans do require a can opener and cookingand eating vessels because you'll have to take out just what you need and leave the rest in the can. But what they lack in convenience they make up for in shelf life - more than doubling the shelf life of freeze dried food packaged in pouches.

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